Some friends of mine are trying the following remedy for gallstones. You buy three 10-ounce bottles of magnesium citrate. You drink one bottle and wait three hours before drinking the second bottle. Then, you wait another three hours, drink one cup of olive oil, and lie on your right side for three hours. Finally, you drink the last bottle of magnesium citrate, and supposedly you "pass" your gallstones. Does this really work? Is it dangerous?

Rita

Stones form in the gallbladder as a result of several complex factors that include a high concentration of cholesterol, low levels of bile salts and a gallbladder that empties poorly. Although most people with gallstones never develop symptoms, some eventually do experience pain and other problems. Symptoms occur when a stone or stones block the cystic duct, which drains the gallbladder. This blockage leads to severe upper abdominal pain, associated with nausea and vomiting. If the blockage continues, an inflammatory process, known as cholecystitis, ensues. Cholecystitis is characterized by fever and bacterial infection of the gallbladder. The treatment for cholecystitis is surgical removal of the gallbladder, often on an emergency basis. Other complications of gallstones include obstruction of the main bile ducts and obstruction of the main pancreatic duct.

Therapy for gallstones is recommended only for those patients who suffer from symptoms. Once gallstones form, it is unusual for them to dissolve spontaneously. Although oral preparations of bile salts are available, they are not very effective in dissolving gallstones. Thus, the standard treatment for gallstones is surgical removal of the gallbladder. This common surgery, performed via laparoscopy, is often done on an outpatient basis, and patients recover very quickly.

The remedy you describe for the treatment of gallstones sounds dubious. First, I am not aware of any effect that magnesium citrate and olive oil would have on the gallbladder. Even if such an at-home remedy worked, it would be dangerous. You would not want to spontaneously pass gallstones because of the risk of the stones getting stuck in the ducts, causing painful or even life-threatening complications. If you suffer from symptoms related to gallstones, you should discuss your condition with your doctor, who will be able to make the proper referrals.